News

A broad coalition of national organizations, including the Center for American Progress, Indivisible, the Coalition on Human Needs, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and over a dozen more, is spearheading a campaign to oppose cuts to federal programs that fund human needs, health care, education, and other essential domestic programs. HandsOff.org is collecting stories from those who benefit from the programs the President and the Republican-led Congress aim to cut, in order to raise awareness about the devastating impact on real people that would occur. Anyone can share their story on the website or participate in their social media campaign. SEVCA took the opportunity to get involved in the social media campaign at the recent Community in Action event.

Trump’s budget proposal for FY18 would make severe cuts to SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, housing, and education (including Pell grants for low-income students), eliminate LIHEAP (fuel assistance), and the list goes on and on. The proposal disproportionately attacks programs that help individuals and families with low incomes, which account for only 29% of non-defense spending but would bear 60% of the proposed non-defense cuts (according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).

In other news, after an initial set-back in the House’s attempt to repeal Obamacare, the House succeeded in passing a bill that was in many respects worse than their first attempt, and would cause an estimated 23 million people to lose their health coverage. The Senate could take up the health care bill as early as this month. An excellent summary of these and other stories, as well as recommendations for taking action, can be found on the Voices for Human Needs blog.

SEVCA’s Economic Development Department is offering free “Mind Your Money” workshops on the second Thursday of every month at its Westminster office. The next workshop is Thursday, June 8 from 10 AM to noon.

The workshops are open to the public and are designed to introduce participants to basic money management techniques and to help them work through their budgeting challenges. SEVCA’s instructors will utilize tools from the acclaimed Your Money Your Goals curriculum developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help participants set and meet their financial goals. Instructors have over 20 years of leadership experience in the financial and small business development sectors.

“It’s really about financial empowerment,” said Denise Mason, Economic Development Director at SEVCA. “Once you take a detailed look at your spending patterns, almost everyone can find some areas where they can be smarter with their money. These workshops are designed to be very user-friendly, introductory workshops that don’t require any further commitment. But people can come as often as they’d like to continue to get support to make the changes they decide are in their best interests.”

Workshops will be held at 91 Buck Drive in Westminster. SEVCA asks that participants register for these free workshops in advance by calling 802-722-4575 ext.150. Walk-ins may also be accommodated.

In her inspiring address at SEVCA’s Community in Action event on May 25, Vermont Senate Majority Leader Becca Balint urged her listeners not to succumb to despair in the face of recent attacks by the Trump administration to de-fund or drastically cut human needs programs.

“Tonight I want to ask you this: What brought you to this work? What fired you up? What gives you hope? Because we need it…I need you to dig deep and find what brings you to this work.”

For Balint, it is her connections to others in her daily life that she said inspires her and fuels her determination…and that is exactly why SEVCA chose to organize Community in Action. As Steve Geller (quoted in The Commons last week) said about fighting to protect the safety net, “We can’t do this alone.” SEVCA felt that we needed to reach out to other community organizations to make connections and work together to oppose the massive assault by the President and the Republican-led Congress on programs like health care, housing, fuel assistance, education, job training, treatment for addictions, assistance to people with disabilities, etc. In fact, Trump’s recently released budget would cut $2.5 trillion over 10 years to programs that help struggling low-income families and individuals, which includes decimating the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid and causing 23 million people to lose health coverage.

MaryLou Beaver from Every Child Matters spoke about what the impact of these cuts would be on Vermonters, where a full 1/3 of the state budget comes from federal funds. She said that over 28,000 people would lose fuel assistance and 18,000 would lose food assistance (3SquaresVT), including close to 10,000 households with a disabled member. She lauded the recent successful campaign to save LIHEAP (fuel assistance) from funding cuts in the current year’s federal budget, and urged everyone to keep fighting. Other speakers also emphasized the importance of continuing to communicate with their legislators, including staffers from Vermont’s Congressional delegation: Kate Ash, from Senator Leahy’s office, Katarina Sisaius from Senator Sanders’ office, and Kevin Veller from Representative Welch’s office.

Participants at Community in Action had an opportunity to connect with 20 organizations that oppose these cuts or are advocating for innovative solutions to strengthen programs and protections for vulnerable community members—such as Vermont’s Raise the Wage Campaign and Physicians for a National Health Program. Here is a list of these organizations with contact information:

Organizations

Contact info

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

James Lyall, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Phone: 802-223-6304

Brattleboro Area Affordable Housing (BAAH)

Emily CleverThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

MaryLou Beaver, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.202-527-2692

Health Care & Rehabilitation Services (HCRS)

Will Shakespeare; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.802-254-7501

Hunger Free Vermont

Marissa Parisi, Executive Director This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone: 802-865-0255 Ext. 108

Indivisible—Brattleboro

Matt Wright and Eileen ParksThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Let’s Grow Kids

Vicky Senni; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.802-793-2744

Physicians for a National Health Program

Beth Kindle, Karen KrahamThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SEVCA Assisting With Outreach

In 2015, Vermont was one of ten states chosen by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop and test strategies for reducing dependency on the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Vermont’s SNAP Program, called 3SquaresVT and administered by the Department for Children and Families (DCF), was awarded a three‐year $8.9 million dollar grant to develop a job readiness and training pilot program for people getting benefits.

Vermont’s pilot, called Jobs for Independence (JFI), began accepting applications at the end of February 2016.

“The Jobs for Independence pilot will give participants the opportunity to develop skills, overcome barriers to work, and find and keep good jobs,ʺ said DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz. “Most importantly, it will help them to rely less on government assistance and more on their own capacities for building strong futures for themselves.ʺ

Jobs for Independence (JFI) can help people even if they: don’t have stable housing; have a mental health issue; are struggling with substance abuse or recovery; or have a criminal record. Vermonters who get 3SquaresVT benefits may be eligible to participate. Those selected for the program could get help to:

Resolve issues that may be keeping them from work (e.g., criminal record, mental health, substance abuse, or unstable housing)

Find new or better jobs

Gain work skills and knowledge

Pay for things they need to work like car repairs and work clothes

Earn the Governor’s Career Ready Certificate at the Community College of Vermont (CCV)

Brattleboro Resident, Tony Taylor, is Standing for Election

SEVCA will be holding a public election during the week of April 3rd to elect a ‘Client Representative’ to its Board from the Brattleboro area. SEVCA needs representatives of low-income residents in its service area to ensure that there are Board members who can speak on their behalf about what people need to cope with financial hardship and become self-reliant. It’s a unique opportunity for local residents to help effectively direct SEVCA’s resources and services to achieve its mission to alleviate suffering and lift people out of poverty.

Tony Taylor has declared that he will be running for election to that position. Tony is a resident of Brattleboro and has lived there for 15 years with his wife and three children. He attended school in Rutland and graduated from Rutland High School in 1997. Tony has served on the Board of Directors of the Turning Point Recovery Center, which provides treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, and has also been on the receiving end of needed services. He is a former client of our Micro-Business and Matched Savings programs, which helped him start a successful cleaning business – Master Floor Technicians. Tony is interested in serving on the SEVCA Board to give back for the help he has received.

SEVCA will continue accepting nominations for other Brattleboro area candidates until March 29th, and there will also be a space for a write-in candidate on the ballot. Ballots will contain a brief biography of Tony and any other announced candidates. Voting will take place at the following locations on the dates and hours listed below:

Clients of SEVCA or any of the above organizations, and other low-income area residents, are invited and encouraged to vote in this election to help ensure representation of the low-income population in the Brattleboro area on the SEVCA Board. Individuals do not have to be registered voters to vote in this election. Voting can also be done by mail. To request a ballot or for more information, please call 800-464-9951, Ext. 105.